Andrea J. Martin

Assistant Professor of Law

Andrea J. Martin is an assistant professor of law and recipient of the Penn State Dickinson Law Phillip M. Scott Teaching Excellence Award. Her research interests encompass constitutional and anti-discrimination law, historical and contemporary antisemitism and racism, and the intersection of law with antisemitism and racism. Her scholarly work is dedicated to examining the ways in which the legal system has historically perpetuated antisemitism and racism and proposing legal strategies to combat these issues. Professor Martin’s scholarship has been published or is forthcoming in the Yale Law & Policy Review and the Brooklyn Law Review.  She has been invited to present her research related to Antisemitism and the Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, and several other law schools.

Prior to joining Dickinson Law, Martin spent twelve years as a strategic legal advisor, managing business and regulatory legal affairs at a multi-billion-dollar company. She gained diverse experience in general corporate matters and regulatory compliance, providing astute counsel and employing a pragmatic approach to law and the needs of the business. Professor Martin also served as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Appellate Division of the Rhode Island Department of Attorney of General, drafting appellate briefs and presenting compelling arguments before the Rhode Island Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

She served on the Governor’s Commission on Prejudice and Bias, where she assisted in drafting state hate crime legislation. In her role, she also helped educate state police forces about how to identify bias-related crimes. She has also taught legal writing in the CLEO (Council on Legal Education Opportunity) program to increase the number of lawyers from diverse backgrounds and served as a chairperson for the 17th Annual Lutie A. Lytle Black Women Law Faculty Workshop and Retreat. Professor Martin has served on the boards of many nonprofit and community development organizations, including Temple Ohev Shalom, YMCA, Caritas House, and Pink Out, Inc., and is currently a member of the Penn State Hillel Board of Directors.

As part of Professor Martin’s community service, she partners with local organizations and associations, including the Dauphin County Bar Association, to provide professional guidance and share practical knowledge during the critical transition from law student to legal practitioner. Her goals are to support new attorneys, strengthen our community, and elevate standards of competence, ethics, and professionalism in the legal field. At Penn State Dickinson Law, she serves as faculty advisor to the Jewish Law Students Association, the Native American Law Students Association, and the Moot Court Team.

Professor Martin received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law, M.B.A. from Suffolk University, and B.A. in History from the University of Rhode Island. Her interests and hobbies include history, Holocaust studies, and writing.

Select Publications by Professor Martin

Andrea J. Martin, “Beyond Brackeen: Active Efforts Toward Antiracist Child Welfare Policy,” 42 Yale Law & Policy Review 42 (2023)

“Empowering Law Students to Be Antiracist: A Student-Centered, Problem-Based Learning Approach,” Forthcoming, to be published as a book chapter in the Antiracist Curriculum Development volume of the Building an Antiracist Law School, Legal Academy, and Legal Profession book series.